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News Detail
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| 9/15/04 |
Contact Information: |
| Kelly-Springfield Announces $30 Million for Warehouse Expansion and New Equipment for Fayetteville Plant |
Kristie Lozano |
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(910) 484-4242 ext. 240 |
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klozano@ccbusinesscouncil.org |
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Fayetteville, N.C. - The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced today at a press conference held at the Cumberland County Business Council (CCBC) that it will invest approximately $30 million for a warehouse expansion and additional tire production equipment at its Kelly-Springfield plant in Fayetteville. The project will begin in early October and is expected to be complete by the end of 2005.
This is the second capital investment announcement for the plant in two months. The company said June 21 that it was investing $17.7 million in the plant for various improvement projects.
The press conference was attended by Tony Chavonne, Chair, CCBC; Jim Konneker, Plant Manager for Kelly-Springfield; N.C.; Tony Rand, NC State Senator; Jeanette Council, Chair, Cumberland County Board of Commissioners; Marshall Pitts, Jr., Mayor, City of Fayetteville; Ms. Martha McLean, District Director for Rep. Mike McIntyre and Ray Denny, Director, Business and Industry Services, N.C. Department of Commerce.
The new equipment will increase the plant�s ability to produce tires for its Kelly-Springfield flagship brand and its custom brand accounts. The warehouse expansion will add 196,000 square feet to the existing facility at the northeast corner of the site.
�We are pleased that the company has decided to invest in capital projects of this size in our facility,� said Plant Manager Jim Konneker. �It is especially good news for our 2,650 employees who have worked so hard for this investment.�
Konneker also expressed his thanks to city and county officials, and the Cumberland County Business Council, for supporting the manufacturing sector. �They increasingly understand the critical business issues around job preservation, servicing the customer and global competition,� he stated.
In June, Sen. Tony Rand and Secretary of Commerce Jim Fain led a delegation that included city, county and CCBC officials that met with the Goodyear to discuss the plant�s impact on the area.
�Cumberland County is not only focused on new business, but retaining existing business,� said Tony Chavonne, chair of the CCBC. �Since its location here in 1969, Kelly-Springfield has impacted the lives of thousands of Cumberland County residents. The collaborative effort between local, State and Federal officials not only validates our unified vision for economic development, but will assist Kelly-Springfield in meeting the global competition,� Chavonne concluded.
�Goodyear�s decision to invest funds to modernize the plant is a testament to the plant�s leadership and workforce,� said State Senator Tony Rand. �It is definitely recognition for a job well done.�
No additional jobs will be created at the plant as a result of the expansion and modernization, however the local community will benefit from jobs created by contractors working on the projects.
Kelly-Springfield�s Fayetteville plant is the largest tire plant in the world. Nearly 60,000 tires are produced each day at the $2 million square foot facility situated on 400 acres. The total local economic impact of the plant is estimated at over $335 million per year.
Kelly-Springfield has scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony at the plant on Friday, Oct. 1, at 11:30 a.m. with local, State and Federal officials.
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